Americans United - Muslimhttps://au.org/tags/muslim
enHypocrisy Alert: Ex-Christian Coalition Staffer Now Opposes Religious Control Of Courts – At Least For Muslimshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/hypocrisy-alert-ex-christian-coalition-staffer-now-opposes-religious
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>When it comes to the Religious Right, the hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.</p>
<p>Yesterday, on the eve of the Muslim observance of Ramadan, <em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/31shariah.html?pagewanted=3&amp;_r=2">published</a> a story detailing the leaders and groups behind the recent push for anti-Shariah laws in state legislatures, and – shocker! – one is former Christian Coalition Field Director Guy Rodgers.</p>
<p>I wasn’t working at Americans United during the Christian Coalition’s heyday, but I pulled out some old <em>Church &amp; State</em> stories from 1992 that made it clear Rodgers had no problem imposing fundamentalist Christian theology on all Americans back then.</p>
<p>But now he’s fearful that Muslim Americans will do the same, and suddenly, he’s not okay with religion being the basis of our laws.</p>
<p>Rodgers and many other Religious Right activists <a href="//blog.au.org/2011/06/06/a-tale-of-two-sessions-religious-right-conferees-decry-discrimination-%E2%80%93-but-only-when-it-affects-them/">claim</a> Muslims may be plotting take over our country’s courts. They insist that if Americans don’t take action, Muslims will eventually gain power, and our judges will have to accommodate Islamic law.</p>
<p>“Before the train gets too far down the tracks, it’s time to put up the block,” said Rodgers, now the executive director of ACT for America, one of the organizations promoting anti-Shariah legislation.</p>
<p>In the past year, more than two dozen states have considered bills that prohibit judges from consulting Shariah, or any foreign law, in their decisions. Oklahoma was the first state to approve a constitutional amendment in November that bans the use of Shariah law in court. (The measure has since been <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/11/30/a-ok-judge-puts-temporary-block-on-anti-shariah-amendment/">temporarily blocked</a> by a federal judge.)</p>
<p>Americans United has opposed these legislative proposals from the start. As supporters of church-state separation, we don’t believe any religious doctrine should be the basis of our laws. All judges should base their decisions on the Constitution.</p>
<p>Since this is already the law of the land, it’s clear that these measures are just another example of the Religious Right instilling fear and singling out Muslim Americans for discrimination.</p>
<p>As <em>The Times</em> article put it, the threat of Shariah is “more imagined than real.” After all, there are no government officials insisting on saying Muslim prayers before legislative meetings. There are no state legislators introducing measures to teach the Quran in public schools. And there is no Islamic movement pushing for measures that discriminate against Christians.</p>
<p>Yet on a regular basis, AU receives complaints about Religious Right-oriented government officials who offer sectarian Christian prayers before legislative meetings. Every year, state legislatures consider legislation allowing for creationism or a Bible curriculum in public schools. And currently there is a movement to discriminate against Muslim Americans with these anti-Shariah measures.</p>
<p>And Rodgers and his ilk want us to believe Islamic law is a threat?</p>
<p>We all know the real threat to our religious freedom is the Religious Right and its endless push to impose a fundamentalist Christian agenda on all Americans through governmental action.</p>
<p>When a government official actually threatens the separation of church and state by pushing Islamic doctrine – then we’ll worry. In the meantime, it’s clear where we must direct our efforts.</p>
<p>If Rodgers is truly afraid of religion influencing our courts, perhaps he’ll join us.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/anti-sharia-laws">anti-Sharia laws</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-coalition">Christian Coalition</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/guy-rodgers">Guy Rodgers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islam">Islam</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslim">Muslim</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/oklahoma">Oklahoma</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-right-0">Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/theocracy">theocracy</a></span></div></div>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:34:27 +0000Sandhya Bathija2551 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/hypocrisy-alert-ex-christian-coalition-staffer-now-opposes-religious#commentsA-OK!: Judge Puts Temporary Block On Anti-Shariah Amendmenthttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-ok-judge-puts-temporary-block-on-anti-shariah-amendment
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>We have some good news out of Oklahoma today. A federal judge has put a temporary stop to the so-called “Save Our State Amendment” – Oklahoma’s anti-Shariah amendment.</p>
<p>The measure, which passed with 70 percent of the vote on Nov. 2, revises the state constitution so that “courts shall not look to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia Law.”</p>
<p>Since our Constitution already separates religion and government, Americans United opposed the Oklahoma proposal. We <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/10/27/sharia-charade-oklahoma-ballot-measure-reflects-religious-intolerance/">said</a> it served no legitimate purpose and that supporters (including most of the state legislature) were simply fanning the flames of religious discrimination and intolerance against Muslims.</p>
<p>Yet proponents of State Question 755 were able to convince the majority of Oklahomans that if they didn’t vote for the amendment, Islamic law would somehow have become the basis for American law.</p>
<p>Thankfully, a majority vote has no business trampling the constitutional right of others. U.S. District Court Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange yesterday <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/44364188/Awad-v-Ziriax-11-10">issued an opinion</a> granting a preliminary injunction to stop the Oklahoma State Board of Elections from certifying the election results.</p>
<p>“Throughout the course of our country’s history,” Miles-LaGrange said, “the will of the ‘majority’ has on occasion conflicted with the constitutional rights of individuals, an occurrence which our founders foresaw and provided for through the Bill of Rights.”</p>
<p>She doubted the constitutionality of the amendment, writing, “While defendants contend that the amendment is merely a choice of law provision that bans state courts from applying the law of other nations and cultures, regardless of what faith they may be based on, if any, the actual language of the amendment reasonably, and perhaps more reasonably, may be viewed as specifically singling out Sharia Law, conveying a message of disapproval of plaintiff’s faith."</p>
<p>The lawsuit, <em>Awad v. </em> <em>Ziriax</em>, was brought by Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).</p>
<p>"We applaud today's ruling and welcome the opportunity it offers to demonstrate that Oklahoma's Muslim community simply seeks to enjoy the civil and religious rights guaranteed to all Americans by our Constitution," Awad said in a statement on the CAIR Oklahoma’s <a href="http://ok.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/237-breaking-news-alert-judge-orders-preliminary-injunction.html">website</a>.</p>
<p>We join in applauding this court’s decision. Judge Miles-LaGrange got it just right. The Constitution does not allow government preference for one religion or the denigration of another.</p>
<p>For a full report on the background of the Oklahoma anti-Shariah law amendment, check out the December issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>, available online Thursday.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cair-oklahoma">CAIR Oklahoma</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/council-american-islamic-relations">Council for American-Islamic Relations</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islam">Islam</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/judge-vicki-miles-lagrange">Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muneer-awad">Muneer Awad</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslim">Muslim</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/oklahoma">Oklahoma</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/save-our-state-amendment">Save our State Amendment</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/shariah-law">Shariah Law</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/state-question-755">State Question 755</a></span></div></div>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:17:44 +0000Sandhya Bathija2487 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-ok-judge-puts-temporary-block-on-anti-shariah-amendment#commentsSharia Charade: Oklahoma Ballot Measure Reflects Religious Intolerancehttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sharia-charade-oklahoma-ballot-measure-reflects-religious-intolerance
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Oklahomans who really understand the Constitution should have no reason to fear that sharia law will ever be imposed by the government.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In just six days, Oklahoma voters will decide whether they want to write religious intolerance into their state’s constitution.</p>
<p>That’s what they will be doing if they vote “yes” for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit courts from considering “sharia” – Islamic law – when deciding cases. Since our Constitution already separates religion and government, this proposal has no legitimate purpose.</p>
<p>Supporters are simply fanning the flames of religious discrimination and intolerance. I hope Oklahomans see that.</p>
<p>The ballot initiative – known as State Question 755, or the "Save Our State" amendment – already has received the overwhelming approval of the legislature. The House passed it with an 82-10 vote, and the Senate followed suit by 41-2.</p>
<p>Supporters of the measure claim it’s the only way to protect the state from a takeover by Islamic extremists.</p>
<p>“There is actually a huge pocket of terrorist organizations operating out of Oklahoma,” <a href="http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1216042">said</a> Brigitte Gabriel, founder of “Act! For America,” which is backing the measure. “I know this because I work with members of the FBI who are in counter-terrorism and who are paying attention to what's happening in Oklahoma. What we are seeing right now, not only in Oklahoma, but nationwide [is] where there is a large concentration of Muslim population, [there are] more demands and more push for sharia law."</p>
<p>Sadly, Gabriel and her allies have fooled a lot of people in Oklahoma into believing that if they don’t vote “yes,” Islamic law will become the basis for American law. A <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/20/anti-islamic-group-launches-media-blitz-oklahoma-anti-shariah-ballot-initiative/">poll</a> by <em>The Tulsa World</em> in July found that 49 percent of voters support the amendment compared to 24 percent who opposed it and 27 percent who were undecided.</p>
<p>It’s really disappointing that the current anti-Islam sentiments circulating in the nation have enabled such fear mongering. Let’s be clear: The U.S. Constitution already states that religion cannot be the basis of our laws. The First Amendment mandates the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>The Oklahoma Constitution is also pretty clear. Article I, Sec. 2 states: “Perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and no inhabitant of the State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; and no religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.”</p>
<p>But considering the past antics of the Oklahoma legislature, we know many legislators must be confused about religious liberty and the constitutional separation of religion and government. Americans United often has trouble explaining this foundational concept to some of the state’s lawmakers who seems to want to make their version of Christianity the basis for laws.</p>
<p>Oklahomans who really understand the Constitution, however, should have no reason to fear that sharia law will ever be imposed by the government.</p>
<p>Even the state’s conservative-leaning newspaper, <em>The Oklahoman</em>, knows that. The newspaper <a href="http://newsok.com/sq-755-sharia-law-vote-no/article/3504752#ixzz13ZdkaP9k">asks</a> its readers to vote “no” on the amendment, rightfully asserting that it has “no practical effect and needn’t be added to the Oklahoma Constitution.”</p>
<p>If you live in Oklahoma, or know someone that does, it’s not too late to spread the word.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islam">Islam</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslim">Muslim</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/oklahoma">Oklahoma</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-intolerance">Religious Intolerance</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/save-our-state-amendment">Save our State Amendment</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sharia-law">Sharia Law</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/state-question-755">State Question 755</a></span></div></div>Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:43:43 +0000Sandhya Bathija2478 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sharia-charade-oklahoma-ballot-measure-reflects-religious-intolerance#commentsCelebrating Choice: Obama Professes Faith In Christianity – And American Religious Libertyhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/celebrating-choice-obama-professes-faith-in-christianity-%E2%80%93-and-american
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>President Barack Obama got it right on Tuesday.</p>
<p>When he was asked about his Christian faith at an event in Albuquerque, N.M., he <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_christianity">said</a> he has his own personal religious beliefs but recognizes that other Americans have theirs.</p>
<p>The question was posed by a woman at a backyard conversation, one of a series of meetings Obama is holding to talk informally with Americans. She asked him, “Why are you a Christian?”</p>
<p>Obama, who has been continually grilled about his religious beliefs, said, “I’m a Christian by choice. My family didn’t – frankly, they weren’t folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn’t raise me in the church.</p>
<p>“So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead – being my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, treating others as they would treat me,” he continued.</p>
<p>Obama then took his answer in a different direction, extending it to address the importance of religious freedom and diversity in the United States.</p>
<p>“One thing I want to emphasize, having spoken about something that obviously relates to me very personally, as president of the United States, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_christianity" target="undefined"></a> I’m also somebody who deeply believes that part of the bedrock strength of this country is that it embraces people of many faiths and no faith,” he said. “That this is a country that is still predominantly Christian, but we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, and that their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own.”</p>
<p>“That’s part of what makes this country what it is,” Obama concluded.</p>
<p>President Obama has answered a lot of questions as he has traveled around the country speaking to Americans in these “backyard conversations.” But according to <em>The</em> <em>New York Times </em>“Caucus” blog, “the religion question was perhaps the most revealing for the president – and also perhaps the most welcome, given that polls show that the public appears confused about his religion, with <a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1701/poll-obama-muslim-christian-church-out-of-politics-political-leaders-religious">some 18 percent of Americans</a> believing, erroneously, that he is Muslim.”</p>
<p>I won’t hold my breath that Obama’s straightforward answer will put a stop to the controversy over his religious views. But I do appreciate that he recognizes that faith commitment is a “choice.” Our Constitution guarantees us the “choice” to follow a particular faith or no faith at all.</p>
<p>Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/03/obama-inaction-on-faith-based.html">may not agree</a> with President Obama on every issue – we’ve been disappointed in how he has handled the faith-based initiative – but he clearly gets the basic constitutional concept of religious liberty for all. And he doesn’t mind saying so publicly.</p>
<p>That’s something he deserves credit for.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/backyard-conversation">backyard conversation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian">Christian</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslim">Muslim</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-liberty">Religious Liberty</a></span></div></div>Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:19:23 +0000Sandhya Bathija2470 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/celebrating-choice-obama-professes-faith-in-christianity-%E2%80%93-and-american#comments